Colossians 3:19 (KJV)

Passage

Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

Nearby Context

Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Colossians 3:18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.

Colossians 3:19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

Colossians 3:21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "husbands", "love", "wives", "bitter", and "against". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "husbands" and "love", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands..." into verse 20's "Children obey your parents in all things...", so "husbands" and "love" belong inside that flow. In Colossians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "husbands" and "love" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.